Phases of Life
by doodlechick12
Summary: AU. Sirius Black's life has been ruined. And it's all James Potter's fault. A potions accident irrevocably changes the future for the four marauders.


**I totally realize I have stories to update. BUT! I saw Harry Potter 7 part 2, and couldn't resist writing my first HP fic. This got into my head last night, and decided to write. It's not going to be a multi-chapter work though, so sorry if you're disappointed. **

**This is a slight crossover to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, or even a book I've read called Elsewhere, if you think about it. But you don't have to see that movie or read that other book to understand what's going on.**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Harry Potter or the Benjamin Button/Elsewhere idea I borrowed.**

_An AU in which Peter is a spy for the light side, the marauders still have an insatiable curiosity, and the Longbottom's are also considered by Voldemort for the prophesy. And we can't forget Sirius' accident with some seriously botched up potions, courtesy of James Potter._

* * *

><p><em>It was a beautiful summer afternoon; the sky was clear except a few passing clouds and birds sang their delights. Glasses clinked together, and voices were carried throughout the magically constructed tent. Happy children laughed gleefully, chasing each other around the outdoor tables. The table cloths fluttered playfully in the wind.<em>

_Witches and wizards drifted from table to table, talking and eating. They were all dressed in their best robes, and were careful to not drop anything on them. Parents would roll their eyes at the accumulated grass stains on their children's knobby knees and fine silks, but did not chastise them._

_James Potter surveyed all of his friends and family that had gathered with a melancholy smile on his face. Lithe arms settled around his waist from behind him._

"_How are you doing?" The voice was distinctly feminine, but contained a rough edge that was war worn. James ran a calloused hand through his messy, grey streaked black hair._

"_Better. You?" _

_Lily came to stand next to her husband, and sighed. "I'm alright. Are you ready?"_

_James nodded and fought off an onslaught of tears that wanted to surface. "Yeah, I'm ready."_

"_Are you sure? You don't have to . . ." _

_James smiled at his wife. "I do. I need to say something. Besides, Sirius would never forgive me if I didn't speak at his own wake."_

_James walked towards the podium that sat in the middle of the outdoor tent. He cleared his throat as he reached it, and the crowd hushed into silence._

_James saw Harry, Ginny, and baby James II in a corner of the tent with Hermione and Ron. Harry nodded encouragements to his father with a sad smile. _

_James coughed into his hand, and said, "I guess we all know why we gathered here today. One of our dear friends has passed before his time due to an unfortunate potions accident twenty-two years ago. I know Sirius wouldn't want to me to make some sappy speech, but damn it, I going to."_

_A few chuckles rang through the tent and James relaxed minutely. _

"_Twenty-two years ago my friends and I thought we were invincible. We all thought we could take on the world, even Voldemort."_

_A few people flinched, but many stood fearlessly at the sound of the dark wizard's name. James looked down at the podium sucked in a breath._

"_So yeah, we were all arrogant prats and took unnecessary risks, as Lily likes to say. _

"_I can't blame her, not really; especially after that day. It started on a rainy afternoon, like most horrible things do. Peter, Remus, and Sirius all came over for the afternoon . . ._

* * *

><p>"Are you sure Lily doesn't mind us down here?" Peter wrung his hands nervously, his eyes darting back towards the basement door.<p>

Remus rolled his shoulders and asked, "Do you really have to ask, Wormtail? You know Lily doesn't want James down here. She thinks he'll botch up her more delicate potions."

"Rightfully assumed, too," Sirius added. He held up a potion and read the label carefully.

James protested loudly at the accusation, "Hey! I will not _botch up _her potions! I'm just looking for . . . something."

"That sounds ominous, Prongs. Just tell them you're looking for her fountain of youth potion-thingy and you want to administer it to your whole family so you can live the rest of your life looking like a hot twenty-two year old Quidditch player," Sirius said, placing the vial down and reaching for another one.

The basement, a.k.a. Lily's potions lab, was deathly silent. Sirius looked up to see everyone staring at him. "What?"

James spluttered and said, "You make up _the most ridicules_ things I've ever heard, Padfoot. Where'd you pull that idea from?"

Sirius shrugged, and said noncommittally, "What? It's what I would've done."

Remus let out an exasperated breath and turned to James, "What are you _really _doing down here?"

"I'm looking to see if I can create something that might be of use." He looked down and shuffled his feet a bit, "You know, a potion to make you impervious to injury, a counter to the crucio curse, the like."

Remus and Peter looked at James with open mouths.

"Are you so arrogant that you think you can make something like that, when thousands have tried? James, you're being completely illogical about this." Remus huffed angrily.

James deflated, and muttered, "I know. I just want to do _something, _even if I can't leave the house." He got a thoughtful look on his face, and asked suddenly, "How _did _you three get here? I know Peter can, but he's the secret keeper."

Sirius answered him from across the room, "Details, details Prongs." At James' look, he hastily said, "We snuck into Dumbledore's office and flooed in, since your house is still connected to his office."

James was gobsmacked, "We're connected to Dumbledore's floo network? And how did you sneak into his office without Dumbledore noticing?"

Sirius waved his concerns away, "Don't worry about it, Prongs. Ooh, look at this!" Sirius held out a potion and read off the label, "'_To reduce aging lines and wrinkles.' _Ha! I told you there was a fountain of youth potion-thingy down here!"

No one bothered to reply to that as they looked through the potions. "Where should we start then, James?"

"You're going to help me?" James asked, pushing up his glasses.

"Of course we will, you idiot. We're your friends. Besides, you guys helped me when you studied animagus transformations. It's the least I could do."

James smiled brilliantly and turned around to a table full of vials. "I think we should start with-" He tripped and landed half on the table. The vials of potions were launched into the air and hurtled towards Sirius.

"Watch out, mate!" Remus yelled.

"My glasses!" James wailed.

Sirius spun around and the vials exploded at his feet. "Ack!"

And he promptly passed out cold.

* * *

><p>"<em>So, yeah; that's where this whole mess started. We went to Dumbledore at once, and Lily insisted on coming with little Harry. Dumbledore was not the happiest wizard when all six of us tumbled out of his fireplace . . ."<em>

* * *

><p>"Get off of my foot!"<p>

"You're pulling my hair!"

"Watch the face, watch the face!"

"MY GLASSES!"

"Be careful with Harry, he's not a doll!"

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles and raised an immaculate eyebrow. Lily stood up and straightened her clothes, pulling Harry close. Remus hobbled over to the headmaster's desk, mindful of his injured foot.

James and Peter held Sirius up between them, while the former looked through shattered glass lenses. Dumbledore peered at the unconscious Sirius and asked with detached amusement, "Do I want to know what's happened to Mr. Black?"

Lily glared at her husband, and said through clenched teeth, "Yes, James. Tell Albus what you and your cohorts have been doing in my potions lab."

"Well, um, you see . . . a bunch of potions got spilt on Sirius in Lily's lab," James looked everywhere but the headmaster's gaze.

Dumbledore sat up straighter and his eyes stopped twinkling. "Let's get Sirius down to the hospital wing, Remus, Peter. James, you and Lily stay here.

"Don't touch anything," The headmaster warned the messy haired man.

James flushed and looked at the ground. They took Sirius out of the office, and the Potter's were left in silence.

"What were you thinking, James? I feel like I'm talking to a child; don't do this, don't do that. You'd think that you were mature enough to not mess with my potions equipment."

James' eyes flashed, but he mashed his lips together. He deserved the tongue lashing.

"I just wanted to help somehow, Lily. We were going to experiment with some potion ingredients to see if we could do some good. I tripped and fell against a table and it splashed all over Sirius. I'm sorry."

The red-haired witch sighed and sat down in a chair. "Well, I just hope you've learnt your lesson. Don't mess with my potions." She bounced Harry a bit in her lap and the toddler giggled.

James smiled and sat next to Lily. "I hope Sirius is okay, Lils. I'll feel horrible if I've done something terrible to him."

"Maybe it won't be bad at all. Maybe it'll be something funny; he could have been turned into a woman." Lily tried to lighten the mood, but they could both tell that she was worried also.

"Let me fix your glasses, _reparo!"_

* * *

><p>"<em>If only it <em>was _something as simple and funny as Sirius turning into a woman. Sirius might have protested against that, but even changing genders might not have been as bad as it was._

"_When Dumbledore made his way back to his office by himself some hours later, Lily and I had been convinced Sirius would be fine._

"_We were right in a sense- Sirius wasn't dead or physically injured. We were so relieved at first. Then Dumbledore told us what had happened._

* * *

><p>"You mean Sirius is normal? He's not dying, or going to be a woman, or anything of the sort?" James asked, practically bouncing in place.<p>

Dumbledore gave him a tired look, and shook his head. James slowed in his bouncing. "Well, he was never _normal, _or anything, but he'll be back to the way he was, right?"

"No, James. While, it is true that Sirius is not a peril, he was still affected by the number of potions."

"What is it, Albus?" Lily asked nervously.

Dumbledore leaned forward and placed his hands on his desk. "Sirius was hit with a number of different things and it was difficult to do, but we managed to identify many of the potions spilt.

"There were several that reduced the physical signs of aging. There was also a time shifting one," He leveled a look at Lily.

She spluttered and blushed a brilliant shade of red, "It was an experiment and still being tested. All it did was take the user a few minutes back in time."

James lit up with an idea, "Ah ha! I think I've got it! Once all of the potions were mixed together, it created a fountain of youth potion-thingy that will make Sirius look like a hot twenty-two year old Quidditch player until he dies!"

The only sound was Lily face-palming.

"No, James. That's not quite right."

James sunk into his chair and waved a hand. "Go on then, Dumbledore. Give us the bottom line. Tell us the long-term repercussions of the potions."

"Very well, I'll give Lily the long-winded version later." When he saw that his audience was captivated, he continued, "You were close, James. But while Sirius will not being aging properly, he will not stay in his current physical form either. He will not mature forward a day over twenty-two; he will instead age backwards. Instead of turning twenty-three on his birthday, he will turn twenty-one. The next year, twenty, and so on."

James and Lily gaped. Harry, oblivious to the tension, tugged his mother's hair.

"What happens to Sirius when he reaches the day he born?" Lily asked apprehensively.

Dumbledore let out a weary sigh and rubbed his temples. "He will die, Lily."

James sat back, shocked. His best friend would only get to live for forty-four years.

"Is there some way you can reverse it, Professor? Can't you do _something?" _James asked hoarsely. Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "There isn't a thing we can do, James. I'm sorry."

Lily shook off her shock and held herself together. "What will happen when he cannot care for himself anymore?"

"Isn't it obvious, Lils? Sirius will live with us," James said, his voice filled with certainty. Lily frowned, "Doesn't he have a cousin he likes? Andromeda? And what of his Uncle Alphard? Won't one of them wish watch out for him?"

James just shook his head, "Andromeda and Sirius talk very little now. Besides, she's married and has her kid, Nymphadora. Sirius' Uncle Alphard passed on recently."

Lily nodded slowly. "I guess Sirius could live with us if he so desires." James smiled and turned back to Dumbledore. "If Sirius wants to, which I'm sure he will, he can stay with us Professor."

Dumbledore said vaguely, "Are you sure, James? You already have one child. Are you sure you'll want to take care of Sirius when he's one as well?"

"Of course; he's my best friend, my brother even." James was certain now. Dumbledore relaxed in his own chair and said, "Very well, my boy. Remus and Peter are bringing him back now and then you can all go home. Besides, you have a few years to change your mind if you so wish."

James nodded, determined. He would take responsibility for his actions, and be there for his friend.

"Um, by the way Professor, you're not mad about the guys breaking into your office, right?"

* * *

><p>"<em>I look back sometimes and wonder if it would have been better-<em>easier- _if I had just let Dumbledore handle Sirius when he got too young to live by himself. But then I remember how he's always been there for me, and remember the rewarding times of raising my best friend. _

"_I look back and wonder what would have happened if I'd said I _didn't _want to look after my best friend, and have deduced that I would've regretted it._

"_Sirius handled the news alright at first. He thought, _hey, I get to be young forever, _but it wasn't like that for long."_

* * *

><p>Sirius burst through the fireplace, his wild black hair disarray. "Prongs! Prongs! You'll never believe what I've just found out!"<p>

James stumbled down the stairs, and muttered, "It's bloody two in the morning, Padfoot. This had better be good."

Sirius frowned, and said, "Define 'good'."

James glared.

"Voldemort got tired of trying to find your secret keeper and he went after the Longbottom's. He's killed Alice and Frank, but somehow the killing curse he aimed at Neville rebounded and hit himself. The war is over, mate."

James fainted.

* * *

><p>"<em>With the end of the war and all of the excitement that entailed, we could just push aside Sirius' little issue for the time being.<em>

_But then, in the blink of an eye, I realized that avoiding it wouldn't make it disappear. _

"_Wizarding laws began to restrict him of doing things he could have otherwise done; like drinking and going into clubs."_

_James chuckled and said, "He sure was furious when he couldn't get into any good bars anymore."_

* * *

><p>"What do you mean I'm too young? I'll have you know, I'm twenty-seven years old! Really. Why are you laughing?" The club bouncer was throatily laughing, and asked James, "Is he for real? He can't be a day over eighteen. And you have to be at <em>least <em>twenty-one to get in."

James grimaced while Sirius narrowed his eyes at the man in front of the club entrance. Peter shuffled his feet and asked, "Can't you just let him in? He's older than he looks."

"Give me some I.D. that actually looks real and we'll see."

Remus tugged at Sirius' leather clad shoulder, and hissed into his ear, "Let's just go, alright? It's not worth going to muggle jail over."

Sirius scowled and hissed back, "It's not fair, Moony."

James ignored his friends and turned back toward the bouncer, "Sorry for the trouble, sir. We'll just go." He grabbed Sirius' other shoulder and they hauled their angry friend off of the premises. Peter shot a glare at the bouncer for good measure, before following him.

* * *

><p><em>James' smile faltered. "But that was just the beginning. Padfoot began to forget how to do things he should have remembered. It had started out small, but as time went on, the problem grew."<em>

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday!"<p>

Streamers were let loose and sparks flew from wand tips. Harry smiled and bounced up to blow out his seven birthday candles. James and Lily smiled and burst in applause.

"Can we eat some cake now?" Ron asked in a plaintive voice. Molly swatted the back of his head. "Ron, it's Harry's birthday. He gets the first piece."

Lily smiled and said, "Well, I just better hurry and give everyone some cake then, shouldn't I?" She cut and dished out cake to each of the children clambering closer for the sugar.

Ron, Harry, and Neville were gleefully stuffing cake into each other's faces by the time she was done. Neville's grandmother tutted in brief annoyance, but said nothing at the mess they were making.

Lily walked over to James and leant into his chest. James murmured into her ear, "Have you heard from Sirius? He said he was going to be here."

"I can't look after our seven year son, _and _your seventeen year old best friend." James smiled unapologetically, and Lily laughed. "So, have you worked out with Dumbledore what Sirius is going to do?"

James' smile turned into a frown, and he asked, "What do you mean, 'what Sirius is going to do'?"

"Isn't it obvious? He'll be too young to get a job soon enough, and then what is he going to do all day? Work on motorcycles at his flat? As much as he wants to do that, he can't. He needs something productive to do."

Baffled, James asked, "Like what?"

Lily ran her hands over James' shoulders and said, "Dumbledore suggested he go back to Hogwarts as a 7th year. Then, instead of going forwards, he would go backwards and graduate again we reached 1st year."

James looked thoughtfully at his wife and grinned, "Sounds like a good idea. I'll ask him."

Remus walked over and said to James, "Sirius is here. He's in a bit of a mood too." James laughed and responded with, "When is he ever _not _in a mood, Moony?" Remus shrugged noncommittally.

"I just think you'd better get over there a figure out what's wrong."

James frowned, but followed after his friend. Lily turned back towards the kids to break up a fight.

"Fred! George! Don't antagonize Percy!"

Remus led James toward the sofa that sat in front of a large window. Peter and Sirius were sitting there, the latter looking quite down.

"What's wrong, Pads? Something happen at your flat?"

Sirius muttered something incomprehensible to his shoes.

"What was that? I do not understand that mumble jargon," James said playfully.

Sirius looked up and said irately, "I was late because I couldn't apparate, Prongs! I tried and tried, but I can't. It's like the knowledge just disappeared. Yesterday I could, and today I can't. Then my floo network started to act up, so I had to ride my motorcycle from London to here in muggle traffic hour."

The other three marauders were speechless.

Remus said hesitantly, "I'm sorry, Padfoot. Maybe you could relearn?" But James shook his head.

"No, he can't Moony. I've asked Dumbledore about some of this stuff. He said Sirius would just forget again in a matter of days."

Sirius scowled at the floor. "That's just great. What's next? On my birthday I won't be able to do magic because I'll be sixteen and not technically 'of age'?"

No one said anything, but Sirius took that as confirmation. He cursed loudly and garnered a few disapproving looks from a few parents.

"Look, I wasn't going to ask you this yet, but Dumbledore offered something."

Sirius looked up, a tad intrigued despite himself.

"He said you could go back to Hogwarts. Start at your 7th and go backwards. You'll make friends every year and you can pull pranks on unsuspecting professors again. Then, in a few years, Harry will be there." James hoped Sirius would say yes, but wouldn't have minded if he'd said no.

"If I don't go, I won't be able to do magic at all." Sirius stated, hoping someone would say different. No one did though, so he took a breath. "I guess I'll go."

Peter smiled tentatively, and said, "Just don't go making a whole bunch of friends and forget about us, okay? We wouldn't be the marauders if you weren't one with us."

Remus nodded his agreement.

Sirius smiled for the first time that day and said, "Of course I won't go and forget you guys. Who else will put with me, yeah?"

They all laughed at that, and James happily changed the subject, "So, tonight's the full moon. Are we still on for tonight?"

"If you guys still want to," Remus said.

Sirius grinned, showing all of his teeth, "Of course we still want to, Moony. We're your best mates."

"Your brothers," James corrected.

* * *

><p>"<em>The next two years seemed to fly by. Lily and I insisted that Sirius move in with us, seeing as he was there whenever Hogwarts was let out anyway. So he let his flat go, if not a little reluctantly. <em>

"_We all took the time to hang out with Sirius, even if we got some strange looks from errant wizards and muggles. To everyone else, we looked like three twenty-eight year old men and a rowdy teenager._

"_We always shrugged it off, but it might have bothered Sirius. He never told us if it did. _

"_The first time he brought home a friend from Hogwarts over the summer was an awkward affair for everyone involved. Said friend seemed to shrug off the awkwardness though, and soon fit in well with our little make-shift family._

"_The friends Sirius made would never last long enough though, it seemed. They would move on with their class, and Sirius would move down and start all over._

"_If that wasn't enough, the forgetting-thing was getting worse. Fifth year for Sirius was pretty bad."_

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?" Nine year old Harry asked, curiously looking at Sirius.<p>

The now fifteen year old jumped with surprise, "Blimey, Harry! Don't sneak up on people like that!"

Harry took no offense to Sirius' tone, and merely repeated the question. Rolling his eyes, Sirius said, "I'm going to ride my 'bike. I tampered with some stuff to make it fly."

Harry's eyes went wide behind his glasses. "Really? Can I come?" Sirius nervously looked back at the house, and then turned his eyes back to Harry and his motorbike in the shed.

"I don't think Prongs and Lily would like that. Why don't you stay here?" Harry pouted and said, "Please? I'll never ask you to do anything ever again!"

After some hesitation, he said, "Fine, fine. Just don't tell your mum or dad about this." Sirius led Harry over to the motorbike and slung his leg over the seat. "Get on behind me and hold onto my waist, okay?"

Harry nodded and did as was asked.

Sirius turned back to the gears on the 'bike and drew a sudden blank. Tension filled seconds passed, before Harry asked, "Well? What are you waiting for, Padfoot?"

Sirius blinked, before saying, "Nothing, don't worry about it. Here we go . . ." Sirius nervously guessed which clutch to apply pressure to and the motorbike lurched forwards.

Harry yelled with excitement while Sirius tried to assure himself that he knew how the drive this thing. "Make it fly, Sirius!" Harry said cheerfully.

Sirius fumbled with a few controls and the 'bike suddenly stopped, flipping them both head first over the handlebars.

Harry screamed and Sirius would later vehemently protest that he himself had screeched like a girl. The next thing Sirius knew, Lily was suddenly there cooing over her baby, and shot Sirius a glare.

"What were you thinking? You could have hurt him, or yourself!" Sirius decided to not tell her that his wrist felt like it was broken. Harry had remained nearly completely undamaged except for a scraped knee.

Lily ushered them towards the house and said, "When James gets here, you are having a talk with him, Sirius." He sulked up to his room and winced as his wrist throbbed painfully.

He waited there for what seemed like hours, until James let himself into his friend's room.

"Sirius? What happened out there? Lily told me you crashed the motorbike with my son on it." He leveled Sirius with a vaguely aloof look.

When Sirius said nothing, James sighed. "Is this like the apparition thing a couple years ago? Did you forget how to work your bike?"

Sirius turned over on his bed, mumbling something that sounded like an affirmative.

"Well, are you hurt? Lily said you were holding your wrist when you came up to your room, but she didn't want to bother you."

Sirius sat up suddenly, and yelled, "It's not fair, Prongs! I keep forgetting things I've already learned and it's so _frustrating! _Sometimes I wake up and wonder where I am, and how come Regulus is annoying me to get up." He looked at James with barely concealed fear, "Sometimes I wonder where my screeching banshee of a mother is and what happened to my cold father."

James sat on his friend's bed, careful not to touch the other wizard. "I know this sucks, Padfoot. I know this is my entire fault, and that you're suffering from my mistake. I wonder to myself what I can possibly do, and realize that there isn't a damn thing I can." He turned towards Sirius and said, "I know this is going to sound lame and inconsiderate, but it's all you can do. Suck it up and deal with it. Accept your situation and live your life to the fullest."

Sirius gave James a look and laughed suddenly, a broken, maniacal sound, "You sound like a psychologist on crack, Prongs."

They both through back their heads and laughed then.

* * *

><p>"<em>It was later that year during Christmas holidays that Sirius lost his animagus abilities. <em>

"_There wasn't a big announcement or anything. We were just going to go out on a full moon to stretch our legs a bit._

"_When he didn't show up, we worried._

"_The next day, I confronted him and as calmly as possible, Sirius stated he couldn't transform anymore and would I please bugger off._

"_No one said anything about it and we avoided talking about animagi altogether. _

"_Avoidance was a thing we did a lot after the potions accident."_

_James cleared his throat, and Lily came up to stand beside him to be his strength. She gently encouraged him to continue. "I can finish, if you would like," She said softly into his ear._

_He shook his head quickly, and said, "I _need _to do this." Lily accepted his answer, and rubbed his back with her palm. _

"_The next few years blurred with new experiences and the usual teenage drama. But as I got older it seemed that I began to understand teenagers less. Go figure. _

"_Sirius seemed to revel in my confusion at the new slang and jargon. How was I supposed to know 'cool' was good? Then, when I asked if warm was bad, he laughed and laughed._

"_I was glad when the teenager years were over. Then Lily told me we still had Harry to go._

"_Wonderful."_

* * *

><p>Harry was very excited. Today was his first day <em>ever<em> at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His and his dad's best friend –Sirius, or Padfoot, if you were particularly close – was a third year.

"Are you sure you have everything? We could go back-" Lily was fretting, and James was failing to assure her everything would be fine.

"Lils, the school hasn't changed since we were there. Besides, Sirius will watch over Harry and take him under his wing. Don't worry."

"That's what I'm worried about. Sirius hasn't gotten as many detentions as when you were in school with him, and I just have a feeling that that's going to change as soon as Harry gets sorted."

James laughed, and said, "Is that all? You don't need to worry. Sirius and Harry will get into trouble far before Harry gets sorted."

That earned him a swat to the back of the head.

* * *

><p>"<em>I learnt pretty soon that I was right in my assumption. Harry and Sirius shared a compartment with Neville, Ron, and a young lady named Hermione. On the train, they wreaked mayhem with pranks that were quite original.<em>

"_They used some of the Weasley twins' homemade things to execute Sirius' plan._

"_First year was hectic – what with that ordeal with the Philosopher's stone. Lily nearly withdrew Harry and Sirius both from Hogwarts._

"_Then, when our two boys were in second year together, they shared a dorm. All that really changed was that there was more time for planning pranks._

"_They even got into more trouble with Voldemort, even if it was figment of a Horcrux._

"_Of course, I made sure to help all I could by donating my invisibility cloak, and our special map."_

* * *

><p>"Shh! Are you <em>trying <em>to get us caught Potter?" Sirius hissed at Harry, where both were under the invisibility cloak.

"No, _Black. _I was trying to warn you that Filch is on his way over here! I saw him on the map-look!" Harry shoved the marauder's map into Sirius' face. Padfoot's pallor went a ghastly white color and he cursed.

"_Sirius. _You know what Mum said about cursing."

"Lily's not here right now, and what she doesn't know won't hurt her. Let's hurry before Filch gets here."

The two boys scurried away from the corridor and back to their dorms. Seamus, Dean, Neville, and Ron were all sleeping when they snuck into their own beds.

At breakfast in the Great Hall, none of the Slytherins were present. While most the student body was pleasantly surprised at their absence, Sirius and Harry had been expecting it.

Hermione looked at them and accusingly asked, "Where are the Slytherins?"

Harry calmly took another bite of his scrambled eggs and said, "I suspect they're too embarrassed to come out of their dungeons."

"Why?"

The rest of the Gryffindors were looking at Harry and Sirius now, their curiosity piqued.

"Probably because they won't be able to take the humiliation of having red hair with a gold stripe running through the center."

"Don't forget that they'll be bursting out and singing in random intervals of that muggle song, '_Bohemian Rhapsody'_."

"Can't forget that one, Harry," Sirius said smiling, "Oh look. There's a Slytherin now."

Every Gryffindor at the table turned towards the Great Hall doors and gaped. There, was Draco Malfoy and some of his gang, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson.

All had red and gold hair. No one in the Hall said anything as they walked to the Gryffindor table. Draco opened his mouth, "_Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality." _Draco shut his mouth angrily and gestured towards his hair and face.

Crabbe stalked up then, and tried to speak- "_Open up your eyes, Look up at the sky and see, I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy."_

A few chuckles began to ring throughout the Great Hall. McGonagall began to stand, but Dumbledore gently urged her to stay seated.

Pansy's face was red as she tried to talk as well, "_Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low, Any way the blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me. Mama I just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, pulled the trigger, and now he's dead."_

More Slytherins began to come into the Great Hall then, all going to their table. Draco and his allies gave up and left for their table too.

All throughout breakfast everyone could hear parts of the song being sung.

"_I see a little silhouetto of a man  
>Scaramouche, Scaramouche<br>Will you do the Fandango?  
>Thunderbolt and lightning<br>Very, very frightening me."_

"_(Galileo) Galileo  
>(Galileo) Galileo<br>Galileo, figaro  
>Magnifico."<em>

"_So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?  
>So you think you can love me and leave me to die?<br>Oh, baby."_

Hermione scolded her friends, but Harry and Sirius disregarded his chastisement with the waving of their hands.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron said cheerfully.

Of course, none of the Gryffindors thought it was brilliant the next week when the Slytherins extracted their revenge.

To say the least, none of the school would ever forget the lyrics to the song, "Bohemian Rhapsody" or the sight of all the Gryffindors clogging.

* * *

><p>"<em>I remember getting a letter from the Harry about the clogging incident. He thought it was funny, but Sirius was so outraged. From then on, it was all out war on the Slytherins.<em>

"_But soon 2__nd__ year was over, and the summer vacation flew by._

"_Harry's 3__rd__ year was surprisingly uneventful, if you disregard Dumbledore hiring our friend Remus to teach DADA. _

"_Sirius finished 1__st__ year for the second time, and there was even a small graduation ceremony. _

"_Padfoot was devastated when he couldn't use his wand anymore when he turned ten years old again. And I'm pretty sure a lot of the _accidental magic _wasn't so accidental, and was just revenge." James laughed. _

"_The next few years were fun and exciting. I hadn't known Sirius when he was younger than eleven, so it was an adventure. Years ten through seven were full of trips to Diagon Alley and Quidditch matches in our backyard."_

"_Though, when Sirius was eight, he got to the ring bearer for our Remus Lupin's wedding to Sirius' second cousin Nymphadora Tonks._

"_Yeah, we thought he was robbing the cradle too. _

_James' laughter subdued then, and he coughed to clear his throat from the tightness that was suddenly there._

"_The war was a big problem around then too. He'd targeted the Boy-Who-Lived –Neville – and all of his friends, which included Harry._

"_Lily worried herself sick over that year Harry was gone with Neville, Hermione, and Ron hunting Horcruxes. I remember Sirius wanting to help too, and he was terribly upset when he couldn't._

"_We were all glad when the war ended, but Sirius couldn't understand why his favorite cousin –Tonks- and his other best friend –Remus- weren't coming over anymore." James used the back of his hand to wipe any tears that threatened to fall away._

"_I had to explain that they'd died fighting Voldemort and were heroes. _

"_Sirius liked the idea of his cousin and friend dying to save the day, but it didn't stop the grief of losing two very close friends."_

* * *

><p>Sirius was quite put out. His best friends had left the house, all warning him to stay put. Lily had put so many protection spells on their home, Sirius suspected that it was unplottable now.<p>

Before they'd left, Sirius had begged for answers, to which James said that there was a big battle happening at Hogwarts and their help was needed.

So Sirius had offered to come because he has some serious _skills _and they definitely needed his awesomeness to kick Voldemort's ass.

Then Lily had told him to never say that word again, and James had said that he needed a wand to whoop _anyone's _ass.

Lily had gone on and slapped James up the head and told _him _to never say that word again.

So, here Sirius was, bored and terribly anxious. Like any bored and anxious kid, Sirius wreaked havoc on the house.

It hindsight, Sirius figured that Lily and James would regret leaving a seven year old by himself.

When James, Lily, and Harry finally came home, _the next day, _they were all tired and filled with grief. Lily hadn't even had the hart to yell at Sirius about the mess.

"What happened? Are Remus and 'Dora coming over later? What about Peter? Is he okay?" Sirius bombarded them with questions.

James sighed, and said quietly, "Remus and 'Dora aren't coming home, Sirius. Neither is Peter."

Brows furrowed, Sirius asked, "Why not? They promised they'd come over again last time."

Lily broke into sobs, and Harry led his mother into the living room. James kneeled down to Sirius' level and said, "They're dead, Sirius. I'm sorry."

And Sirius cried.

* * *

><p>"<em>When Sirius was six and Harry was eighteen – Just barely out of Hogwarts – Sirius forgot how to play Quidditch, and a few months later, how to ride a broom.<em>

"_That wasn't the kicker though, oh no. That was when he called Lils and me Mum and Dad a few days after he turned five."_

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?" Harry jumped nearly a foot in the air and <em>almost <em>knocked over the motorbike he was working on.

"Bloody hell, Sirius, you scared me." Sirius just continued to gaze at Harry with his large grey-blue eyes and repeated the question.

Shaking off his sense of de je vu, Harry said, "I'm touching up your old motorbike, Sirius. You remember having a motorbike, right?"

Sirius looked at the large 'bike with confusion, and shook his head. "Nope, but it looks like fun." Harry grinned and pushed up his glasses. "Yeah, it's fun. You used to ride it a lot when you were bigger. I'm about to take it for a spin, and if you promise not to tell Mum or Dad, I'll take you with me."

Sirius' face split into a large grin, a dimple on one of his cheeks. "Okay! Let's go!"

"Promise you won't tell?"

"I promise I won't tell Mum and Dad you took me on your motorbike. Can we go now, _please?"_

Harry's smile froze on his face and he stood there stock still for an uncomfortable few minutes. When Sirius showed no sign of realizing his mistake, Harry fell back into motion.

"Right, err, let's go then." He picked Sirius up and put him on the seat. Harry got on then, and started the motorbike up. They drove out of the recently redone shed and were racing down the cobbled streets of their neighborhood.

Sirius laughed with exhilaration and Harry smiled in response. The wind whistled through their ears and buildings blew past as the speedometer rose higher.

The two arrived at a muggle town and stopped for ice cream. The girl in charge of the shop was in her late teens, and smiled at the two boys. "Is that your brother?" She asked Harry.

Harry looked at Sirius, who had ice cream all over his face and was licking at his sticky fingers. Harry turned back towards the girl who was waiting expectantly.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's my brother."

That night when James and Lily each got home from the work at Auror department and St. Mungo's respectively, they asked about the boys' day.

Sharing a smile, they both replied, "Fine."

Lily eyed them warily, but let her suspicions go. "I've got to go Mum, Dad. I'm spending the night at Ron's tonight because we're getting an early start in the morning – looking for work. I won't be back until late tomorrow."

Lily kissed Harry's cheek and said, "Have fun." James nodded and said, "I hope you find something you like. You can always become an Auror if you find anything . . . "

Harry rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he left the house. Lily hit James lightly on the arm as soon as their son was gone. "James, if the boy doesn't want to become an Auror, let him be. He'll come around if he wants to follow in your footsteps. And let's face it; he has followed in your footsteps from the moment he was born. From pranking, to chasing red-haired girls to the point of stalking . . . he's a lot like you."

James frowned and turned towards his long time best friend, "Is that true Sirius? Was my pursuit of Lily considered _stalking?" _

Without looking up from his dinner, Sirius nodded. "Yep."

James groaned.

Later that evening, James and Lily had just gotten to sleep when the former was being patted into wakefulness.

"Wha?" James slurred. "What's going on?"

"I had a nightmare."

A couple of moments passed.

"Can I sleep with you and Mum?" James blearily blinked and saw Sirius standing next to the bed. It hit him what his friend had just said.

"A nightmare, huh? What about?"

"It had a scary lady with crazy curly black hair and she called me a bloodtraitor." Sirius looked at James with big, tear filled eyes.

"She was tall an' scary and mean to me. So can I sleep you, Dad?"

_Bellatrix. _

James sat up, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Yeah, Sirius, come on up." He helped the little boy to climb into bed with him and Lily.

Only when Sirius had snuggled in between the husband and wife and drifted off to sleep that James realized his best friend had called him Dad and Lily Mum.

"Blimey," James whispered, "Blimey."

* * *

><p>"<em>It became a common occurrence for Sirius to call us 'Mum' and 'Dad'. Visitors never said anything when he was in the room, but as soon as he left, questions and accusations were thrown.<em>

"_We didn't let the accusations bother us, and continued on as we were. _

"_Harry _finally _became an Auror at twenty. _

"_He moved out and into a flat in London. We missed him even though he came over all the time, and tried to fill that void our baby left with Sirius._

"_But time was running out for our dear friend. He only had four years of life left and we were determined to make it his best. We took him to children's parks and went out for ice cream whenever we could. _

"_I was often left saddened when I thought about the man my best friend had been; what he had been reduced to. _

"_Whenever he forgot another skill or forgot some piece of information, I felt particularly responsible. And unfortunately, the last four years of Sirius Black's life were mostly full of him forgetting everything he'd ever learned."_

"_I _hated _that."_

* * *

><p><em>Four years old (Where had time gotten to?)<em>

"Dad? Mummy?"

It was Lily that woke up first and murmured to James, "Your best friend is up. It's your turn."

James groaned and turned over. Sirius was silhouetted in the door, uncertainty splashed across his aristocratic features.

"What is it, Sirius? Did you have another nightmare?"

Sirius shook his head. "Come here," he whispered.

James dragged his tired body out of his warm bed and groped the side table for his glasses. Grabbing them, he pushed the glasses up his nose.

He walked over to the doorway and kneeled, "What is it?"

Sirius looked back down the hall, as if to make sure no one was listening in. Then he peered over at Lily. Finally, he turned to James and cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered into James's ear, "I had an accident."

James' eyes widened, and he said, "_Ooh. _Okay. I'll handle it. Come on, let's get you changed."

He led the four year old to the bathroom to get changed out of the soiled clothing.

_Three years old (Times is slipping away. It's going too fast. Can't we a have a little while longer?)_

"James! Harry's here!" Lily called up the stairs. "Come in, come in, Sweetheart. Hello, Ginny. How's Molly doing?"

Lily ushered in her son and his girlfriend, gathering their coats. "There's tea in the kitchen, so make yourself at home. Your father is upstairs."

Ginny and Harry wandered into the kitchen and each helped themselves to some tea. "Thank you, Mrs. Potter, this is lovely." Ginny said smiling.

Lily waved her off, and said, "Call me Lily."

Harry smiled and said, "Actually Mum, we had something we wanted to tell you and Dad."

"What did you want to tell your mother and me?" James asked, coming down the stairs with Sirius perched on his hip.

"Harry!" Sirius yelped and tried to wriggle out of James' grip. Harry laughed and took Sirius from his father. "Hey, Padfoot. You remember Ginny, right?" Sirius nodded vigorously and smiled at the aforementioned red-head.

Ginny smiled back and said, "Hello, Sirius."

"Harry, you never answered my question. What did you want to tell me and your Mum?"

Harry's smile brightened and he said, "I proposed to Ginny-"

"And I said yes."

Lily squealed and James clapped his son on his back. "Nice. Let's leave your mother and Ginny to discuss some details and we men can all get out of the house."

Harry nodded. "That sounds good." The Potter men said goodbye to their wife and fiancée and they left the house quickly.

"Where do you want to go? The Leaky Cauldron? The Three Broomsticks? Perhaps you'd like to go to the Ireland Quidditch match? I happen to have three tickets."

Sirius' head shot up and he yelled, "Quidditch! Let's go to the Quidditch match!"

Harry grinned. "I bet you two had this planned, yeah? Let's go then." James punched the air and said, "You hear that, Sirius? Our mastermind plot worked!"

Sirius giggled and Harry rolled his eyes.

_Two years old (Nonononono! I want a timeturner!)_

"Sirius? What are you doing?" Sirius looked up and smiled toothily. All of his adult teeth had been replaced with his baby ones.

Sirius was coloring on the walls with the paint Harry had gotten him. "Hm? I wanted ta paint, Daddy." James stepped over some toys and made his way carefully towards Sirius. "I can see that, Siri. How come you didn't ask for some paper to paint _on?_"

Sirius shrugged and continued to finger paint a dog on the wall. "Oh no, you don't." James grabbed Sirius and carried him downstairs. He muttered a cleaning spell and the paint disappeared from Sirius' hands and clothes.

James met Lily and Ginny in the kitchen where they were speaking in excited voices. Lily turned to James and smiled brilliantly. "Ginny's having a boy, James! Isn't that exciting?" James' face lit up as he sat at the table with Sirius in his lap.

"That's great! What are you going to name him?"

Ginny flushed, and said, "I think we going to name him after you and Sirius."

James' mouth fell open and he said, "Really? That's very nice. What do you think, Sirius?" But Sirius' short attention span was already on something else and he wanted down.

Lily frowned and took him from James. "Isn't it time for you nap, Sirius?" Sirius wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No! I don't want a nap! No, no, no!"

Lily said, "Do you want a time out?"

"Will it get me out of a nap?"

"No," Lily said flatly.

Sirius pouted, and said, "Damn it."

Lily screeched, "James! I told you to stop saying curse words in front of Sirius!"

James flinched and Ginny gave him an apologetic look. "How is everything with Sirius?"

Sighing, James said, "Alright. I had to transfigure his bed into a crib today to keep him from climbing out at night. Then, I had to baby proof the house, because it's his birthday in a couple of days."

James covered his face with his hands and suddenly felt like crying. "He only has a year left, Ginny. I don't know what I'll do when he's gone. Remus and Peter are already dead. After Sirius, I'll be the only one of the marauders left. What am I going to do?"

Ginny got up and shuffled over towards her father-in-law. "It's going to be okay. You have a year left; make the best of it."

James nodded and sniffed. "Thanks Ginny. You're like a daughter to me, you know?"

Ginny wiped at her eyes now, and said, "You're making _me _cry now."

"Sorry."

_One year old (So little time left. The days go by astonishingly quickly.)_

"Let's get you bundled up, okay Sirius? We're going on a little trip."

James was depressed. Sirius could barely walk anymore. He'd just forgotten. (Like with Apparating, riding the motorbike, turning into an animagus, and potty training.)

James put Sirius' winter attire and carried him down the stairs to the fireplace. Lily was already down there, waiting.

"Is he ready? I told Minerva we'd be there five minutes ago. She must be getting worried." Lily took in the sight of baby Sirius and her husband and broke out into a smile.

"Don't you two just look dashing?" Sirius turned his head towards her and squealed, "Mummy!" Several of his baby teeth were gone.

Lily reached over and James relinquished his best friend to his wife. Once Sirius was safe in Lily's arms, the three Flooed to Hogsmeade.

They stumbled out of the fireplace and into the Three Broomsticks. Patrons waved to them, recognizing the Potter's.

After they greeted longtime friends, the Potter's excused themselves and went up to the castle. There, they met Professor McGonagall at the gates.

She bustled them into the warmth of the castle and into the Great Hall. "The students have already had dinner and are in the dorms. The professors however, all wanted to say goodbye."

James and Lily followed McGonagall diligently and walked towards the staff table. Hagrid and the other professors were there, all smiling sadly.

Once Lily and James were seated with Sirius, McGonagall said, "Tuck in, then." Everyone ate and exchanged stories happily. When they were done, Sirius was passed from professor to professor, each wanting to say goodbye to their old student.

McGonagall held in tears, and said, "Black, you were the bane of my existence for fourteen years. But you were one of my favorite students. Rest assured, you will be missed."

Sirius smiled at her, and stuck his thumb into his mouth.

"Well, we'd best be off, Professor," Lily said. James nodded and gently took Sirius from McGonagall.

"Bye-bye!" Sirius said cheerily.

The Potter's left Hogwarts and apparated home from Hogsmeade.

_Six months old (The Potter's are a bit glad that most of the Black family are gone. That way, they don't have to share Sirius' last six months with them.)_

"Ba-ba-da-la-da," Baby Sirius coos from his crib. He's just sitting up because he's found that even crawling is hard to do now. James Sirius Potter is in there with him, a bit older, but still speaking in baby babble. (He can sit, _and _crawl, Sirius notices.)

James II starts in on the cooing and babbling, hoping to attract his mum's attention. It doesn't work. She's off with the other lady, and his daddy and off with the other man.

James II started to babble louder and starts to string words together. "Ma-ma! Da-da-da!"

Ginny whirled around and asked, "Did anyone hear that? Did James just say his first word?"

Harry and his parents are frozen and they all strain to hear if one of the babies is talking.

Both babies stop for a minute, but Sirius, who has always loved attention, starts to coo and gurgle for attention. "Da-ba-ba-la-da." James –the adult – comes over and picks up his friend/brother/son.

"What are you saying, little guy?" James' hair is streaked with grey now, a sign that he is getting on in age. He wishes he could still understand what his friend/brother/son is saying and is extremely sad we can't.

James II starts babbling again, wanting attention, now! "Ma-ma!" All of the Potter's hear it then, and Ginny is ecstatic.

"Harry! He said his first word! He said Mama!" Ginny and Harry are deliriously happy, and as much as James wishes he was that happy too, he just can't stop thinking how he will never get to celebrate Sirius' first words.

After celebrating, Lily seems to understand and leads James and Sirius out of the room.

_Three months old (Time is almost up and though she hadn't spoken to him in years, Andromeda wants to say good-bye)_

Andromeda can't stop crying as she holds her baby cousin again. She remembers holding him when he was first born, and it starts the tears up all over again. Teddy is curious about this special cousin of his, but Andromeda can't seem to let Sirius go for Teddy to hold him.

James and Lily are in the kitchen, letting Sirius' cousin say good-bye.

Andromeda stays all day and recounts stories of when Sirius was a child the first time, and James and Lily tell Andromeda stories of the second time Sirius was a child.

(Their stories are vastly different because _this _family cares about him, as opposed to most of his other one.)

It is a sad day.

_One day old – a newborn (He has 12 hours exactly to live, and has so many things he hasn't done yet. It is a pity.)_

Everyone has gathered for Sirius' 'baby shower'. It's kind of like a birthday/good-bye party/funeral all mixed into one.

Every single person Sirius has come into contact with that he liked is there.

Marlene McKinnon saunters over to James who is holding the (technically) newborn Sirius. (He's so tiny, and James can barely believe his friend was ever this small, especially when his presence seemed to fill entire rooms.)

"Sirius Black. You always wanted a kiss from me," Marlene takes the baby gently from James' arms and gives him a kiss on the forehead, "It's the least I could do." She says gives Sirius back to James.

James has already been choked up four times, and he swears he's not going to cry. (Even if he totally is. No one says anything.)

After the party is over, only James, Lily, Harry, Ginny, and James Sirius Potter are left.

James the first is holding little Sirius and he swears that he smiles broadly at him a second to midnight. Then he closes his eyes and James feels the e_xact moment _when his friend/brother/son dies in his arms.

They all cry unabashedly. Even James Sirius Potter, who was always a bit jealous of him.

* * *

><p>James is still at the podium and he starts to cry, but he lets the tears come.<p>

"Sirius Orion Black was my best friend. He may have a jerk, or a son of a bitch like his name implies, sometimes, but he was my best friend."

James lifted up a glass of champagne, and said, "To Sirius, the best friend, marauder, and brother a person ask for."

"To Sirius!" Everyone seventeen and older raises their glasses and drinks.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I admit it; I totally started crying as I finished this. Please read and review!<em>**


End file.
